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I'm having this at midnight, April 3, 2013. I have four 4-packs I bought last December, sitting in storage at 60 deg. for 4 months.

And either I didn't recognize its greatness when it was new, or this little bit of age made this stuff golden. I'm this close to going back downstairs for another one. Aargh--

Good thing I've got a Weyerbacher Insanity in the fridge . . .
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UPDATE
This is a "2013", drinking it 11-21-2013, so eleven months of aging.

A clear reddish-caramel in a tulip glass, with very little white head even with an aggressive pour (hence the 11.5% alcohol). Lacing is sparse, but with serious stick-to-it-iveness and dripping legs down the glass.

How I miss this aroma. Brings me right back to snowy April of last year. Bourbon in the nose seems nicely muted compared to my memory of it. I remember the bourbon being pronounced in the aroma. The vanilla, too. Oak and char and melted butter. Simple syrup. Brown sugar and raisin. Yeah, baby.

In the mouth the aging is instantly evident, with the hop bitterness knocked way back (though there's still a ghostly, earthy pine bitterness on the back-end, for sure). The flavor is wonderfully round: soft sugar cookie, ice-cream-caramel swirl, fig and prune, then the bourbon. I put more in the glass, and pie crust fills my nostrils. Plus Juicy Fruit Gum and marshmallow. It's massively toffee sweet, and yet the mild hops and tannins from the oak--not to mention the brightness of the still-respectable boozey ABV--bring balance. It's so huge, it drinks like Dogfish Head 120 minute.

Despite a fairly significant carbonation, the smoothness makes me want to cry. It gives the feel of a super-syrupy moscato di asti. Definitely more an English Barleywine profile, at least after the aging. How astonishing to experience true beer nirvana. I feel like I did two years ago sipping a JW Lees Harvest Ale for the first time.

CW's detractors denounce them as a one-trick (bourbon barrel) pony. Not only is this wrong (duh, Illumination? Exodus? La Petite Mort?). But even if true, this is bourbon-barrel aging at its very best. The barrel aging doesn't dominate, it elevates this brew. I'm looking forward to opening a cellared CW Bourbon Barrel Stout to compare it to their non-barrel aged Brewhouse Coffee Stout I like so much.
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10/11/14
Ok, so the look of this pour makes me immediately worry this beer has gone bad in the cellar. It's about 22 months of cellar aging, now. And the physical appearance is one of cloudy gelatin, thick and murky, like badly-stirred Knox Blocks.

But the aroma. My God. It makes me want to become a bourbon drinker.

Then, holy bejeezums, the flavor in the mouth. If this was a perfect 5.0 a year ago, it's now punched through the ratings ceiling. What I hadn't perceived before was the red wine tartness, which helps push the butterscotch sweetness skyward.

I'm grinning like a psych ward inmate on chocolate pudding day that I have ten more bottles in the basement.

Huge malty notes of caramel and toffee erupt from the glass, chased by vanilla and bourbon. The bourbon is much stronger on closer, careful sniffs, but not overpowering; there's plenty of room for pecans and walnuts, prunes, chocolate, vanilla, and a complete toasted malt bath.

Flavor follows the nose, with an added bite from earthy and herbal hops. Bourbon up front; followed by caramel, toffee, and toast; and finished with vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, oak, and some alcohol heat.

Long wet finish allows vanilla, chocolate, and bourbon to dance across your gums and tongue in waves. Brew is relatively thin up front, but with a silky wetness that coats your mouth. Lots of alcohol heat, but it's not unpleasant.

This beer tastes like they took the malt boil, poured it into a bourbon barrel, added some green hops, and called it a day. It's absolutely delicious.

Poured into a snifter.
The appearance was a half fingered white foamy head that dies within about a minute. Lacing is adequate and clings nicely around the glassware. Ruby red colored body, slight transparency, some carbonation could be seen rising adequately.
The smell had some dried tobacco leafy sweetness playing with some apples and cherries that seem to dance in front of the caramel/toffee malty sweet aspect of trying to add some sweet wood, somewhat like oak, and then just a tickle of vanilla.
The flavor took all of those prior mentioned aromas and kicked in more of the sweet bourbon itself. Some light earthy spice entered in and seemed to meld with the aftertaste, almost absolutely perfect as it controlled some of the stickiness.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a discreet sipping quality about it, as it should be since it's a barleywine. Carbonation felt a bit low, but that didn't bother me, I did notice some stickiness starting to come in. ABV felt on par.
Overall, though it did seem closer to an English styled barleywine to me, it's still an absolutely wonderful barelywine that should be sought after by fans of the style.

The taste is similarly awesome. Just so many flavors from the clearly superior base barleywine, whatever it is, plus so many added flavors from the barrel aging. Strong maple syrup, some candied raisins and plums, brown sugar, toffee, sweet bourbon, rich, strong vanilla, light coconut, and some pleasant wood bitterness. There's a small amount of hop bitterness. The maple and vanilla flavor in this one is so strong, it almost tastes like it was made with them as adjuncts, which shows the strong brewing talents of the folks over at Central Waters.

This brew is medium bodied, but feels light and silky on the tongue. Really quite drinkable, which is a miracle, given the 11.5% ABV. The booze doesn't show up much at first, but as it warms, it becomes a bit spicy, but warming and awesome. Low carbonation, despite it's visible presence after the pour.

This is really awesome. It's barreled perfectly, it's got to be one of the smoothest barleywines I've ever had. It's decadent, and a rare treat to drink.

Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Color is a translucent light chestnut, resembling caramel sauce when held to the light. There were a few small flakes of sediment visible in the glass. An aggressive pour yielded an off-white two finger head that left lots of nice lacing. The aroma is very heavy with bourbon and barrel notes, with some light toffee in the background. The bourbon barrel character is also quite prominent on the palate. As the beer warms up, some other flavors begin to come through. There is light caramel, a little dried fruit, a hint of coffee, and quite a bit of alcohol warmth (11.5% ABV). The mouthfeel is silky, the finish slightly sweet. There are some lingering notes of toffee, along with a tinge of burnt-coffee bitterness. That this is a world-class brew is evident from the first sip. Despite the alcohol bite, this is very smooth and goes down very easily.

I picked up a bottle of Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Barleywine at The Lager Mill. I've been wanting to try this beer for a while and now that it's around it's time to see what it's like, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- The label isn't that great looking, it's a little hard to read and it isn't too eye catching. It poured a darker brown color that took on a little bit of a ruby hue when held to the light and it had a fingers worth of creamy very light tan head that died down to a thin stayed till the end and it left some nice patchy lacing behind. This is a very nice looking beer, i have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with bourbon barrels being the first to show up and they impart a nice bourbon, light oak and vanilla like aroma that go right into a slight alcohol aroma. Up next comes the dark fruits which are a little on the bright and juicy side with some raisin aromas seeming to stick out the most and that goes into the malts which impart some caramel, caramel malt, light toffee, toasted malt, bread crust and sweet malts with just a slight leather like aroma towards the end. This beer has a very nice aroma, it's just what I would expect from the style.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma, but a little more intense and it starts off with a medium amount of high sweetness with the bourbon barrels being the first to show up and they impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but this time they are stronger and more intense and that goes into the booze which is the same way, it's fairly warming and boozy. Up next comes the dark fruits which are a little lighter than they were in the aroma not as juicy, but it's still the raisin that sticks out the most. Towards the end comes the malts which are also stronger than they were in the aroma and they impart all the same aspects with no single one sticking out the most this time. On the finish there's a medium amount of bitterness along with some more sweetness and a little more booze with some caramel, bourbon, vanilla and sweet malt like flavors in the aftertaste. This is very nice tasting example of the style, it's a little more intense than the aroma led me to believe.

M- A little smooth, a little creamy, a little crisp, boozy, warming, slightly overly bitter, on the medium side of being full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation the mouthfeel is good, but I wish it was a little less better and the alcohol could have been hidden just a little better.

Overall I thought this was a very nice beer and it's a very nice example of the style, it pretty much had all the aspects that I look for in a bourbon barrel aged Barleywine and I thought all the flavors worked well with each other while making this beer pretty complex. This beer had ok drinkability, I think one or half a glass would be a good amount for me, anymore than that and it would be a little too much for me. What I like the most about this beer is the taste and the aroma, they were really nice and the highlights of this beer with their complexity. What I liked thee least about this beer was the mouthfeel, I wish it was a little less better and the alcohol could have been hidden a little better. I would buy this beer again and I would like to see how it ages over time, I would for sure recommend it if your looking for a good and intense bourbon barrel aged barelywine that really lives up to the style. All in all I was happy with this beer and I was a little impress with how much flavor and complexity that they crammed into this beer. It's now my favorite beer from this brewery and it's a very nice example of the style. Good job guys, this is one tasty and intense beer, keep it up.

S: Potent but not overpowering bourbon starts it off followed by molasses, caramel, toffee, raisins, dark fruits. Light hint of vanilla as the beer warms.

T: Starts off with big caramel, toffee and dark fruit and finishes off with bourbon, wood and vanilla. Definitely some earthy hops present. Bourbon is not overpowering which allows the base beer to shine, but blends very nicely.

M: Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Slight bitterness.

O: This is a very, very good BA Barleywine. The bourbon is not too overpowering, but blends insanely well with the base beer. Bourbon and vanilla become more prevalent as the beer warms. Top 5 BA BW for sure. Easier to acquire and cheaper than Sucaba, and is in a better format for when I want to have a single 12 oz instead of opening a 750 mL. Recommended!

Overall a fantastic take on the style. I'd love to visit this vintage 4 to 6 years from now, but it presents well right now. A bit edgy bitterness between the oak tannins and hop level, balances the toffee sweet malt base well.

I'm trying another beer given to me by a local BA today. I might say *spoiler alert* this is fantastic! Well let's get to the review. This brew is a little mischievous when it comes to the label. Simple label stating just that it was bottled in 2013 and it's barrel aged. Yet it's not labels that make the brew. Time to pour. This pours gorgeous deep brown body with ruby hues. Small light khaki head, minimum lacing. Very impressive! Time for the sniff test. This brew is money! Bourbon Whiskey all the way. Caramel/toffee, toasted nuts, oak, subtle coconut and vanilla! I mean it's rich! Well I just blew a Bourbon load smelling it, let's go for the taste! Just like the aroma, caramel sweetness that carries the bourbon notes to sublime! Huge coconut, vanilla and toasted oak flavors in the aftertaste. Finishes dry with some booze. The feel on this brew is medium-light soft body carbonation helps to make the flavors pop.

Overall: Heh, this brew gets me excited, every time I smell it. This is one of the best Barrel Aged BarleyWines, no lies no gimmicks. It sucks that I can't get this brew regularly, yet it keeps me hoping for the next release of Bourbon County Brand BarleyWine. The mouthfeel holds this brew back from dominating BCBBW. This is now one of my favorite Bourbon Barrel Aged BarleyWines. This is Recommended.

Pours a murky, burnt honey color akin to apple cider, with a thin cap of khaki foam. The aroma is absolutely delicious, consisting of dark fruit, toffee, molasses, currants, blackberries, bourbon, and alcohol. I'd strongly recommend taking a few minutes to sniff this straight from the bottle...

The taste is sweet and malty up front with bourbon in the middle, along with a hoppy twinge that attempts to make way for itself from middle to back. The sweetness is highly complex and difficult to pin down, but I'd venture to describe it as tasting of wine grapes, raisins, toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, and caramel. Dark fruit isn't as present as the nose would suggest, but it does manage to emerge as the beer warms (particularly the currants). The resinous hops, which felt somewhat conflicted initially, also begin to meld better as the beer warms. The woody character of the bourbon barrels adds yet another layer of complexity. The finish is downright profound, as rich, warming alcoholic vapors envelope the back of the mouth and throat like dragon's breath. The immense staying power makes the finish a preternatural entity unto itself (not unlike the aroma). A candied stickiness lingers on the lips with each sip. The mouthfeel is fairly loose and slick for such a big beer, but it doesn't detract at all from the experience.

Overall, this is a damn fine barleywine that affords an extravaganza for the senses. From the seductive aroma to the bombastic taste, there are no false steps here. I appreciate how Central Waters didn't try to go too hop forward like some American barleywines, instead opting to let the malt and bourbon take center stage. A sipper though it may be, that only serves to prolong the enjoyment. The only other barleywine I've tried on par with this is Sucaba, so that comparison should pretty much speak for itself.

Pouts a beautiful mahogany hue with one finger head that dissipates over time leaving no sign of carbonation. Looking very much like a shot of liquor, a nice sophisticated look. Initial taste is quite sweet, fig, toffee, butterscotch with just a hint of bourbon. As it warmed though the profile changed 180 becoming very bourbon forward with sweetness diminishing. This was an enjoyable, warming sipper. I took an hour and a half to fully enjoy this fantastic beer.

Appearance: Dense, khaki colored head that subsides fairly quickly (albeit a little slower than most of the other high ABV beers I've been drinking of late) on top of a rich, deep reddish brown beverage. Hold it up to the light and see a fair amount of bubbles.

Smell: The moment I opened the bottle, I smelled the bourbon. Now that it's poured, this has a pretty complex nose to it. Notes of brown sugar, toffee, caramel, vanilla, raisins, malt, and a splash of the bourbon all dance together in this one. This smells beautiful.

Taste: YUM. The bourbon notes are the strongest here, but this has a good amount of complex sweetness to balance that out quite nicely. Definitely get the toffee, brown sugar, and vanilla here. I bet this is going to age spectacularly. Not hoppy at all, which I think allows the other flavors to truly shine here.

Mouthfeel: Smooth on the whole; not as smooth as say a Skull Splitter, but this goes down nicely. Body feels a little thinner than I expected. Carbonation doesn't really get in the way of this one, though, so no complaints there.

Overall: Woodman's only had 2 cases of this dropped off on Thursday; I bought two 4 packs and think I may need to go find more to age. I recently had a couple samplers of the BC Barleywine and this definitely is right there with it in terms of overall quality and complexity. VERY impressed.

A- Pours a dark cloudy bronze color with minimal head that dissipates pretty quickly. It does leave a little lacing on the glass.

S- Wow! Is this whiskey or beer? The bourbon hits you as soon as the bottle is cracked open. Even more huge bourbon notes as I poured it. As this brew mellows and warms, I can start to notice more sweetness and the dark fruit aromas come out.

T- Again, more bourbon. But I like it. I almost want to say that CW did not empty the barrels out completely before they added the beer. The bourbon, oak, sand barleywine mesh well in my opinion and produce a very flavorful brew. I can see how it may be too overpowering for some but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

M- Medium carbonation and it goes down easily. Definitely has an alcohol bite to it.

O- Not for the faint of heart. If you do not like bourbon, you will not like this one. I, for one, found it to be delicious and would pick it up again if I had access to it here in Louisiana.

Had this today (2014 version) after having a 2014 Sucaba last night...CW BBA BW is just as good. Just wish I had access to this as easy as Sucaba is.
But unfortunately I have to trade for this.
Worth the trade though